


Merry Christmas, My Love

by Trixeroli



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Christmas Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:46:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28269345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trixeroli/pseuds/Trixeroli
Summary: Snapshots of Christmas over the years in the Fox-Claremont-Diaz household.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32
Collections: The Firstprince Secret Snowflake Exchange





	Merry Christmas, My Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [im_definitely_hermione_granger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_definitely_hermione_granger/gifts).



> For the [RWRB Discord Server](https://discord.gg/JwardtVJRV) gift exchange.

**_December 11, 2020_ **

It was two weeks before Henry and Alex’s first Christmas together. Two weeks before their first Christmas together, Alex mused, and he was spending the day at the mall with June. She had called him in an uncharacteristic panic, something about forgetting to get gifts for Nora and Pez, and begged him to come to the mall with her. Henry had pushed Alex to go with her, despite the fact that they were supposed to put up Christmas decorations together. So there he was, trudging behind his sister as she peered into shop windows. 

“Ooh! In here!” June said, pulling him into a bookshop. They walked through the shelves, June occasionally grabbing various books and piling them in her arms. Alex snagged a collection of Walt Whitman’s poems that he was reasonably sure Henry didn't own, and the duo headed to the checkout. Each holding a bag, they continued their trip around the mall, stopping once for lunch. 

By 5 PM, Alex was thoroughly annoyed. June had started taking him into shops they had already visited, his feet were starting to hurt, and Henry had stopped replying to his texts an hour ago. They were in the middle of some clothing store, June looking through a rack of dresses.

“How long are we gonna be here, Junebug?” At Alex’s comment, June shot him a dirty look, but checked the time on her phone.

“Good news, we can leave now!” June clapped her hands and whisked Alex out of the store without buying anything. She walked briskly through the mall, Alex keeping pace. They left through the sliding doors and walked through the parking lot to June’s car. They piled the bags in June’s backseat, then got in. The ride to Alex’s house was silent save for the radio, but they eventually arrived at the brownstone. 

With a quick goodbye to June, Alex grabbed Henry’s book from the backseat and hurried up the steps and opened the door. 

“Henry? How did you get tangled in garland? More importantly, why are you tangled in garland?” His boyfriend wrapped in a silver garland and sitting in front of their tree, a toppled step stool next to him. 

“Erm… well… I wanted to surprise you by decorating the tree. Since it’s our first Christmas together.” Henry blushed, the bright red spreading from his cheeks to the tips of his ears. Alex tried to stifle his laughter, but he couldn’t stay quiet for long. He burst out laughing as Henry huffed. After a few minutes, Alex calmed down. 

“Are you done? Can you get me out now?”

“One second.” Alex set the shopping bag down, then took his phone out and held it up. Henry’s eyes widened when he realized what Alex was doing, and he started struggling. Alex just ignored him, capturing a picture of his predicament. Once he’d snapped a few and sent one to the Super Six group chat, he went to work untangling his boyfriend. 

One end of the tinsel was wrapped around their tree a couple times, so Alex undid it then started on Henry. Over his arms, across his chest, through his legs, Alex looped the tinsel until Henry was free. 

Henry jumped to his feet, stretching his limbs and brushing strands of silver from his clothes. He looked at Alex, relief written on his face. 

“So, how did you get tangled again?” Asked Alex, eager to not repeat the experience. 

“Erm, I’m not really sure. I was on the step stool trying to decorate the tree, then I was in midair, then I was on the ground and wrapped in that infernal decoration.” He glared at the offending material, which laid coiled on the ground. He then looked back at Alex with a sheepish smile and relief written on his face. 

“Thank you for rescuing me, though. I really appreciate it.” He demonstrated his appreciation with a kiss to Alex’s cheek, but Alex cupped Henry’s cheek and turned his head, sealing their lips together. 

“You’re welcome.”

**_December 15, 2021_ **

Henry paced in a circle around his and Alex’s room, tapping his fingers against his arm. He was full of nervous energy, not stopping or slowing. Alex stood next to the bed, trying his best to calm him.

“Baby, we don’t have to go if you don’t want to. We can stay here like we did last year. We can tell them something else came up.”

“No, we should visit them at least. I do want to see Bea and Mum. Besides, this is for Christmas. I don’t want to ship Mum and Bea’s presents. It’s Gran and Phillip that I'm worried about. I don’t want you to have to deal with them.” Alex felt a pang in his heart- when faced with going back home, Henry's first concern wasn’t for himself, but for Alex.

“Alright, how about this- we don’t interact with Mary or Phillip unless we absolutely have to. If it gets to be too much, we leave, whether that means leaving the room or coming back here. We can work with Shaan to have an escape plan.” Henry nodded, still jittery. Alex moved to stand behind his boyfriend, wrapping him in a hug and resting his chin on Henry’s shoulder. 

“Henry, baby, listen to me. We’re in this together. I’ll be right there by your side, ok? I’ll be with you every step of the way. It’s two nights there, and then we’re back here, to _our home_. You have a lot of people on your side, H. Me, Bea, Catherine, and Shaan will all be there for you. You have an army of people behind you. You are not alone anymore.” 

Tears were running down Henry’s cheeks. He turned in Alex’s arms and pulled him closer, tucking his face into the crook of Alex’s neck. Alex didn’t know how long they stayed like that in a silent embrace, Henry’s shoulders shaking and Alex rubbing his hand along Henry’s back. Eventually, Henry pulled back and looked at Alex. 

“Thank you, Alex. You always know the right thing to say.”

***

The dining room at Kensington Palace was comfortably silent, save for the sounds of silverware scraping against plates. No one spoke as they ate dinner. Everyone but Phillip had breathed a sigh of relief when they were informed that Her Majesty Queen Mary wouldn’t be joining them. Alex bumped his leg against Henry’s, and gave him a smile that Henry returned. Eventually, wMartha was the first to break the silence. 

“So Henry, Alex, you’re living in Brooklyn, in New York, right? How is it? Do you like it?” Alex and Henry exchanged a glance. 

“It’s good. We finally got everything unpacked and in the right place, which is a huge relief.” Alex nodded in agreement with Henry’s answer. Martha opened her mouth to say something else, but Phillip cleared his throat.

“We missed you last year, Henry.” Henry’s shoulders stiffened and his jaw tensed. Alex placed his hand on Henry's knee, rubbing his thumb against the fabric of his pants. Henry took one, two, three breaths, then fixed Phillip with an even gaze and spoke.

“Sorry I couldn’t get back here, Phillip. Alex and I were busy settling into our house. I’m sure you know what it’s like. If I recall correctly, you didn’t come for Christmas dinner the first year that you were with Martha.” Bea laughed into her mashed potatoes, and Henry fought to keep a straight face. Phillip went red and closed his mouth. Catherine and Martha had twin looks of poorly-concealed amusement. 

The conversation picked up after that, discussions of Henry’s book and Alex’s law classes, Catherine’s dealings with politics, Martha’s pregnancy, and Bea’s charity fund. 

***

Henry collapsed on the bed as soon as they returned to his room, loosening his tie and pulling it over his head. Alex sat next to him and removed his own tie. 

“That… wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, since Gran wasn’t there and Phillip was mostly silent.” Henry admitted after a minute of silence. Alex smiled, giving Henry an ‘I-told-you-so’ look. 

“Thank you again for coming with me.” Henry looked up at Alex, sincerity written on his face. 

“Any time, baby.”

**_December 20, 2022_ **

The week before Christmas, Henry brought it home.

“Babe, look what I got us!” Henry hung up his coat and hat, then held up a long, thin box decorated with red, white, and a festive-looking gingerbread house. He turned it back around and inspected the front. “I’ve never actually built one, and I thought it would be fun!” Henry looked so excited, and Alex couldn’t say no.

The box stayed on top of their fridge for a few days until the weekend, when it was finally pulled down by Alex. Henry and Alex sat on stools on either side of the counter, the box resting between them.

“You ready to do this, baby?” Henry nodded, excitement in his eyes. Alex opened the side of the box, dumping the contents onto the kitchen table. He spread them out, separating the gingerbread pieces, multicolored frosting, and packets of various candy. Henry grabbed the empty box, inspecting the instructions on the back. 

“It says here the first thing to do is connect the sides of the house to the back and front. Can you hand me the white frosting?” Henry handed the box over to Alex, taking the tube of frosting from his boyfriend. He arranged four of the largest gingerbread pieces in front of him and pulled the cap off of the frosting. Snipping off the end of the tip of the frosting, Henry carefully drew two lines on the edges of the gingerbread pieces.

With his tongue poking out from between his teeth, Alex helped Henry arrange the four gingerbread pieces in a square. Thankfully, the frosting hardened quickly, holding the sides in place. 

“Woo!” Henry threw his hands in the air, almost knocking over the precarious square. Alex shot him a look, then picked up the frosting. 

“Ok, next step is to put on the roof. Here, I want to do that.” He placed the roof tiles in front of himself and squeezed the frosting bag- but nothing came out. Alex inspected the tip, then squeezed again. Still nothing. He readjusted his grip, squeezed, and…

_Pop!_

The side of the frosting bag burst open in Alex’s hands. Frosting oozed out of the side of the bag, covering Alex’s fingers. Alex and Henry locked eyes, then burst out laughing. 

The giggles finally died down a few minutes later, dissolving into smiles. Alex licked the frosting off his fingers, grinning at Henry. Henry leaned across the table, grabbing the collar of Alex’s shirt and pulling him into a kiss. 

Pulling back, the two of them burst into another round of giggles, almost falling off of their stools. Alex grabbed the open frosting packet, quickly squeezing a dollop onto Henry’s nose. With an indignant yelp, Henry grabbed an unopened packet of red frosting, quickly cutting the corner off and squeezing some onto Alex’s arm.

“Oh, you’re gonna get it now.” Alex narrowed his eyes playfully, before sliding off his stool and quickly walking around the counter, smearing frosting across Henry’s forehead. Henry threw his hands up too late, failing to block Alex. However, he returned with a smear of his own frosting down Alex’s arm as he got off his own stool. 

The two of them squared up, twin smirks on their faces. Alex bounced on the balls of his feet, remembering his practice fights with June. Henry was the first to move, reaching out and squeezing his frosting packet. Alex threw up a hand to block it, but in doing so, lost his balance. 

Alex felt his legs go out from under him and, in his panic, grabbed the front of Henry’s shirt. They toppled to the floor, the frosting packets landing between them and bursting, covering their shirts and faces in the icing. Alex and Henry froze, taking in their current, familiar situation, then burst out laughing.

Their frosting-covered lips met between giggles as they laid splayed out on the cold kitchen tile. Alex’s knuckles brushed Henry’s, and their fingers intertwined automatically. Henry was the first to speak.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“I guess we’re gonna need some more frosting for the gingerbread house.”

**_December 22, 2023_ **

Alex pushed open the door to the brownstone to find Henry sitting cross legged on the couch, glaring daggers at the tv. It was tuned to the Hallmark channel, some cheesy romcom flickering on the screen. 

“Is there any specific reason why you’re watching this?”

“It’s apparently a ‘holiday classic’,” Henry mocked, using his fingers to mime air quotes, “but all I see is heteronormative bullshit. She wants to apparently ‘take a break from men’, but then gets back with her childhood boyfriend? Also, where are all the people of color? It’s just a bunch of white, cishet people.”

Alex stifled a laugh behind his palm and took a seat next to his boyfriend. The woman on the screen was making bedroom eyes at her costar, who was lugging a tree on his back. She wasn’t helping him, of course, just badly pretending to be in love without showing it. He gave her a cheesy pick up line, and she laughed. 

After a few minutes of the generic bad, heteronormative Christmas movie, Henry grumbled somethibng about not standing it aunty longer, siezed the remote, and quickly changed the channel, flipping to Return if the Jedi. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Alex caught sight of Henry’s face. The colors danced across Henry’s face, highlighting his cheekbones and brightening his eyes. Henry was engrossed in the movie, always so eager to watch it no matter how many times he saw it. 

Henry was beautiful like this, Alex thought. The pure, unfettered joy written plainly across his face always looked particularly good on him. Alex especially liked these moments- when Henry’s mask was lowered and he let himself relax. He 

***

The next day, Alex had gone to grab sodas for the two of them from the kitchen and turned to find Henry leaning against the doorway. Alex lifted an eyebrow and moved to push past him, but Henry stuck out his arm and blocked the path.

“What’s that for, huh?”

“You gotta pay the toll.” Henry grinned. Alex just smirked in response.

“Oh yeah? What’s the toll?” Henry pointed up. Alex followed his finger and saw a sprig of mistletoe taped to the ceiling. He grinned and pressed a quick kiss to Henry’s cheek, before ducking under Henry’s outstretched arm. Henry grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

“Hey! Woah, woah, woah, that doesn’t count. Get back here and pay the toll properly.” Alex made a show of rolling his eyes. He gently cupped Henry’s cheek, drawing him close. Henry closed the gap, pressing forward and connecting their lips. 

Over the next few days, Henry kept cornering Alex in seemingly random places and pointing out mistletoe taped to the ceiling- inside the front door, next to a hall closet, above the couch, even on the headboard of their bed. 

“Alright, where is all this mistletoe coming from?” Alex finally asked, after a week of being cornered in every room. “Not that I’m complaining.” he added hastily. Henry just shrugged.

“Well, it’s a Christmas movie cliche. The two main characters find themselves under some mistletoe, either naturally or magically, and share an enchanting kiss. I think it’s cute.”

“You’ve always been a romantic. We can make some magic with or without the mistletoe, baby.”

***

“Dance with me, love?” Henry started a playlist on his phone then held out a hand to Alex, who happily let himself be pulled up into Henry’s arms. 

They swayed in the middle of their living room, soft Christmas music filtering through a speaker. Alex’s arms were resting on Henry’s shoulders, and Henry’s arms were around Alex’s waist. Eventually, Henry spoke in a soft voice.

“Y’know, Christmas had lost it’s special side to me after Dad died…but you do bring some of the magic back.” Alex smiled, and felt something in his chest tighten. He thought for a few seconds, choosing his words carefully. 

“I’m glad I could bring you some joy, honey. You’re so full of love, always giving pieces of yourself away. I’m happy I can give some back to you. You deserve it, Henry.” 

**_December 25, 2024_ **

The first thing Alex noticed when he woke up on Christmas Day was that he was alone. It didn’t happen very often anymore, both of them usually sleeping through the night and getting up together. His arm was stretched across the bed where Henry had fallen asleep, his spot already growing cold.

The second thing Alex noticed was that he was in his old bedroom in the White House. He, Henry, and David had arrived a couple days ago, and would be staying through New Year’s Day. It was odd to wake up again in this room, Alex thought, especially now that he was just visiting. It was also odd having someone else in this bed, but that was something he very much enjoyed.

The third thing Alex noticed was the smell of bacon and eggs in the air. Henry must be making breakfast, Alex realized, and his stomach growled at the thought. Rolling out of bed, he tried to flatten his bed head before giving up. He pulled on a plain shirt and pajama pants before following the smell of breakfast. 

Trudging into the kitchen, he was met with the sight of Henry standing at the stove, tending to a pan. It held scrambled eggs, Henry occasionally moving them around with a spatula. There was a plate on the countertop with strips of bacon. When Henry saw Alex, he smiled wide and gestured for him to sit at the counter. When Alex sat, Henry dumped half of the scrambled eggs onto a plate, laid a couple strips of bacon on it, and placed it in front of Alex. 

“What’s all this for, honey? You know we have staff to do this.” Alex asked. Henry shrugged, then put the remaining eggs and bacon on his own plate, taking a seat across from Alex. 

“I just wanted to do something nice for you. Am I allowed to do that?” He teased. They ate breakfast in a comfortable silence, the only sounds being David begging for pieces of bacon and Henry indulging him. 

For the rest of the day, they hung out with June, Nora, and Pez, who had arrived the day after Henry and Alex. They wandered through the White House, Alex, June, and Nora showing their partners the hidden secrets they’d discovered during their time there. At one point, they attempted to take a walk around the grounds, but quickly abandoned that idea when they realized it was below freezing.

Christmas dinner was filled with laughter and smiles as they chattered amongst themselves. Ellen and Oscar were seated at opposite ends on the table, pointedly not engaging with each other. However, the various conversations going on more than filled the space. June, Nora, and Oscar talked about June and Nora’s college classes. Pez, Henry, and Zahra discussed marketing, the shelters, and the Okonjo Foundation. Alex, Leo, and Ellen talked about the similarities in government and classroom politics.

As dinner came to a close, Alex felt Henry’s eyes on him, but when he turned to look, Henry looked away. Alex could tell his boyfriend was chewing on the inside of his lip and itching to twist his fingers into the fabric of his shirt.

_You ok?_ Alex texted, concern in his eyes. Henry visibly relaxed when he read the text, his eyes full of love when he looked up at Alex. He gave a quick nod, and turned back to Zahra and Pez.

Slowly, people began breaking off and going to their respective rooms. Alex and Henry left after Pez, Nora, and June, heading back to Alex’s old room. They changed, then Alex headed to the bathroom. When he came back, Henry was sitting on his bed, holding a small present in his lap.

“I, erm, have one more present for you.” Henry thrust the box at Alex. Alex inspected it, turning it over in his hands. He gave it a small shake, and heard a soft noise from inside. He quickly tore the paper off to reveal a cardboard box. Grabbing a pair of scissors that were on the dresser, he cut the tape and dumped a small, black, velvet box into his hand. His heart jumped into his throat, pounding rapidly. They had talked about it, but Alex hadn’t expected something so soon. 

He fumbled with the box, eventually finding the lid. Gently, he pushed it up to reveal a beautiful ring. It had a gold braided band with a round diamond in the middle. On either side sat two smaller, oval shaped diamonds. He turned it slowly, watching as the diamonds caught the light from different angles. Slowly, he tore his eyes away from it to look at Henry, only he wasn’t on the bed. He had slid off, and was now on one knee on the carpet, looking up at Alex. 

“I had this beautiful speech planned out, but I honestly can’t remember any of it. So instead, I’ll just say- will you marry me?” Alex took in the sight before him- Henry’s blond hair slicked back, bright blue eyes shining with hope and love, his nerdy Star Wars pajamas. Alex’s vision blurred from the tears in his eyes, and he realized he hadn’t given Henry an answer. 

“Yes. Of course I will. I’ll marry you” 

**_December 27, 2025_ **

Alex and Henry had visited Alex’s childhood home in Austin many times, of course- summer vacations, charity events, and even a few concerts. But they had never been there for Christmas, and certainly had never been there while they were engaged. Objectively, Alex knew it was the same house it had always been, but it felt different. Or maybe Alex was the one who was different. He had certainly changed over the last five years. 

In the past year, Alex had taken to twisting his engagement ring around his finger to ground himself and calm his mind. That’s what he was doing now, as he, Henry, Oscar, Ellen, Leo, June, Nora, and Pez were sprawled around the living room, Alex and Henry being interrogated about their upcoming wedding plans. Alex let Henry explain the royal plans, choosing instead to curl into his fiance’s side.

“So, we’re going to do two weddings- one small wedding, just friends and family, and an official royal wedding. Palace staff have already started making plans, and Mum has been going crazy. She’s been doing better since Gran stepped down, though. We all have.” Alex nodded in assent- it was like a weight had been lifted off Henry’s shoulders ever since Catherine took over from Mary two years before. He kissed Henry- _his fiance_ , he thought with a thrill- and sat up straight. 

“So, Dad, Henry and I were talking about where we want to have the small personal wedding, and… we’d like to do it at the lake house.”

“Of course, mijo. Anything you need.”

  
  


**_December 31, 2026_ **

It’s New Year’s Eve and Alex is laying on the couch, some Hallmark movie on in the background. The tree in the corner is twinkling with different colored lights and reflections from ornaments. There’s no tinsel on the tree, hasn’t been for six years. Two cooling mugs of hot chocolate are sitting on the coffee table, long forgotten. David is laying on the ground in front of the couch, snoring softly. And, most importantly, Alex’s husband is asleep in his arms. _His husband_. Alex is still getting used to the phrase, but he loves it. He loves that he can finally call Henry his husband, loves the weight of the simple silver ring on his finger that he’s not quite adjusted to yet, loves that they live together in their own house, loves that this is his life. Had someone told him 7 years ago that he would be here- cuddling his husband, the prince of England, on their couch on Christmas- he would’ve laughed in their face. Now, he can’t imagine his life any other way. 

**_January 1, 2030_ **

“10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Happy New Year!” The sounds of three unanimous cheers filled the room. 5-year-old Jordan Fox-Claremont-Diaz sat in her pajamas on the couch next to her dads, watching the celebration in TImes Square from the comfort and warmth of her living room. She watched as they shared a New Year’s kiss before breaking apart and sharing a look that Jordan didn’t understand. Papa was the first to speak.

“It’s past midnight, which means it’s bedtime, _mija_. Would you like one of us to tuck you in?” Jordan nodded, and pointed to Daddy. She raised her arms up when Daddy stood, and he lifted her onto his hip, holding her close and safe.

Daddy carried Jordan to her bedroom, laying her in her bed and pulling the covers up to her chin, dutifully tucking the blanket into her sides. He kissed her forehead, then stepped toward the door.

“Good night, princess. Sleep tight.” Jordan smiled from her bed, burrowing deeper under the covers. Satisfied, Daddy turned off the lights and closed the door behind him.

Jordan waited a few minutes, then she was out of bed and turning the doorknob. Quiet as a mouse, she opened the door just a smidge, slipping through the crack and down the hallway. Peeking around the corner into the living room, Jordan saw Papa sitting on the couch, Daddy laying down with his head in Papa’s lap. Papa was running his fingers through Daddy’s hair. 

“You remember where we were 10 years ago, baby?” Daddy nodded and smiled up at Papa.

“Of course I do. We were kissing on the balcony of the White House. Then I turned and fled back to England, and you had a bisexual panic.”

“It’s odd to think of how far we’ve come in ten years. If you had told me ten years and a day ago that I would be here, with you in my lap and our daughter sleeping in the other room, I would’ve laughed in your face. But now, I honestly can’t imagine my life without you, or Jordan, in it. I love you, Henry.”

“I love you too, Alex. 


End file.
